The present invention relates to a plastic rivet affixing parts to each other and to an inserting tool for the plastic rivet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,860, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, discloses a plastic rivet of which the body comprises a flange-shaped head, further legs joined to the head which converge into a nose. The legs run outwardly from each other so that, once inserted into a hole, they may grip from behind the edge of said hole at its distal insertion side. The head comprises a passage to pass an inserted pin in turn fitted with its own head. Preferably the pin molded integrally with the shank. First latching offsets, also second latching offsets spaced apart from and opposite to said first ones, are integral with the said pin. These latching offsets cooperate with first and second locking surface elements inside the head's passage or at the legs' insides. When in the pre-assembled position, the distally situated first latching offsets act from behind on the locking surface elements in the shank's head. After the pin has been forced all the way between the said legs, the first latching offsets act from behind on second locking surface elements at the insides of the legs, the second latching offsets—which are configured closer to the head of the said pin—engaging from behind the first locking surface elements in the head's passage. In this manner the pin shall be doubly locked in the rivet body. Once the pin has been inserted, the elastically deforming legs no longer can be displaced radially toward each other and consequently the rivet no longer may be pulled out of the hole into which it was inserted.
On occasion such a plastic rivet must be used at difficult-to-reach locations. Accordingly it is the objective of the present invention to develop further a plastic rivet of the initially discussed kind so that it allows being inserted in problem-free manner into a part's hole when using an appropriate tool.